Blank feeding means



March 25, 1947.

H. BoBsT 2,418,065

B ANK FEEDING MEANS Filed Sept. 17, 1941 Fig.4.

INVENTOR I HBNRIBOBST BZZWZ ATTORNEYS Patented Mar. 25, 1947 Application September 17, 1941, Serial No. 411,147 In Switzerland October 16,1940:

2 Claims.

The object of the invention is a machine for working a material in blanks and having at least one gripper-bar for the carrying of said blanks. Such a. machine can be for instance a. platenpress using a certain number of, similar bars carrying cardboard blanks to the positions in which they are worked, then delivered. Such bars. are moved by a pair of chains which they interconnect. The grippers upon the bars must also. be able to open or close or in stationary condition seize the blanks to be carried, often while said blanks are moving, when said blanks should be released. This opening and closing of the grippers has been controlled heretofore by a rotary shaft lying full length of the bar and bearing a lever or a cam which may be rotative by an extraneous device. The resulting construction from this disposition is however voluminous, i. e., gives to the bar a thickness that for instance in the case of the automatic platen-press, needs a great stroke of the movable platen to allow the passage of said bars. Generally and in particular in that type of machine it is of interest with regard to the high pressures utilized as well as to the rapidity of the movements the platen have to execute, to reduce the stroke as much as possible. The machine according to the invention has at least one gripper-bar carried by a pair of chains, the thickness of the said bar being of the size of the thickness of the conveyor chains. The body of that bar constitutes a collective jaw for all the grippers it bears and whose other jaw is constituted for each of them by an independent device.

In most of the machines the thickness of the chains is generally determinative for the dimension of the stroke of the blank pressing tools, the arrangement being such that both tools can be withdrawn, one above and the other underneath the chain when the platen occupies the inactive dead point.

Therefore there is no interest in having a bar less thick than the chain, but it is rational to give it a thickness of the same size.

The drawing shows for example one of the gripper-bars embodying the object of the invention.

Fig. 1 is a view from ment of said bar.

Fig. 2 shows on a larger scale a cross-section adjacent to a gripper of said bar.

Fig. 3 shows a second embodiment of the bar seen from above.

Fig. 4 shows on a larger scale a cross-section adjacent to a gripper of said bar.

above of a first embodi- The bar shown in Fig.1 is composed of body I.

whose cross-section is. rectangular-shaped and.

whose thickness is equal, as, Fig. 2 shows, to the. height. of the link-plates of the. chains 2 that carry that. bar. Its. width is determined by thev mechanical resistance. that the profile must pre-- sent. Finally its. length is such. that. the latches 3 can be. fixed each to one. chain of a pair of chains. between which carboard blanks. such. as 41 are carried in the direction of arrow 5..

The body of the bar has in the described embodiment nine hollows 6 in which levers 1 aredisposed articulated around a. pin 8 and subjected to the action of a spring 9.

As the drawing shows, the body I constitutes a collective jaw for nine grippers of which the other jaw is individually formed, for each of them, by theiree extremity of one of the levers I. All these levers are lodged in the body of the bar, while no part exceeds the thickness T of the latter. To this end, the surface 10, forming the collective jaw of the gripper-bar is sufficiently depressed so that the extremity ll of each lever 'I can be included in the rectangular-shaped profile of the bars body. The jaw H is roughed to avoid the escaping of a sized blank held by the gripping action of the jaws.

As concerns the hollows 6, of a cut made in the side of the body opposite the collective jaw to receive a lever pin and of a groove crossing the other face of the body i. e. that opposite the face supporting the collective jaw the said hollow 6 containing the whole lever the free end of which crosses the body I there through, and terminates above the plane l0.

To open the grippers it is sufficient to let the bar pass on an outer device able to exercise a pressure in the direction of arrow 12 on the levers 1 so as to make them rock against the action of the springs 9.

In the shown construction, the levers I extend over the whole width of the bars body, but they could be made shorter. The described construction is nevertheless the better.

The bar according to the second embodiment of Figs. 3 and 4 has a rectangular-shaped body I whose thickness T including the devices which will be described hereinafter will be practically maintained in the size of the chains wideness.

Nine screws l3 serve to fix on that body nine elastic blades l4, constituting as many individual jaws destined to cooperate with a large surface of the bars body. At the place where the edge of the blank 4 is applied against said body the latter carries on interchangeable piece I5. It is they are composed efiecti'vely known that cardboard for instance, polishes and rapidly wears the devices where it rubs constantly.

It is evident the screws such as It are not in reality on the plane of the cross-section of Fig. 4 but they always will be between two blades l4 (see Fig. 3).

Under each elastic blade, there is a piston l1, crossing the body I and capable of being lifted in the direction of the arrow [2 for the purpose of opening the grippers. This operation can be produced by the passage of the bar on appropriate controlling means.

The said piston is free, retained in the body I by a head l8, but could be as Well made integral with blade 14.

It is evident that the number of grippers shown I on every bar is not limited.

What I claim is:

1. In a machine for working a material in blank form, the combination of a pair of driven conveyor chains and a gripper bar carried by and connecting the same, the thickness of the bar corresponding substantially to the thickness or size of the conveyor chains while a portion of the body of said bar forms a collective or gang jaw adapted to be engaged by an opposed group of individual grippers carried upon said body, and a plurality of distinct devices forming an individual jaw for each of said grippers, said bar, grippers and devices all being contained within the profile of the chains.

"2. ma machine for working a material in 4 blank form, the combination of a pair of driven conveyor chains and a gripper bar carried by and connecting the same, the thickness of the bar corresponding substantially to the thickness or size of the conveyor chains while a portion of the body of said bar forms a collective or gang jaw adapted to be engaged by an opposed group of individual grippers carried upon said body, and a plurality of distinct levers located within the bar body, each lever being articulated in a notch in one side of said body while extending into a notch in another side of the body opposite to the portion forming the gang jaw, and also extending transversely through said body so as to terminate above said portion of the latter forming the gang jaw.

, HENRI BOBST. REFERENCES CITED file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number I Name Date 993,613 Morrison May 30, 1911 1,079,218 Curtis Nov. 18, 1916 1,564,309 Harrold Dec. 8, 1925 2,025,418 Stussi 'Dec, 24,- 1935 492,054 Sandel Feb. 21, 1893 2,097,772 Novick Nov, 2,1937 416,271 I Pease Dec. 3, 1889 1,238,561 'Ohl Aug; 28, 1917 1,462,923 Stevens July 24, 1923 2,025,481 Stussi Dec. 24, 1935 

